ADVEBRS

Adverbs tell us in what way someone does something. Adverbs can modify verbs (here: drive),
adjectives or other adverbs.

adjective adverb

Mandy is
Mandy drives carefully.
a careful girl.

She is
She drives carefully.
very careful.

2. Form

Adjective + -ly Irregular forms:

adjective adverb adjective adverb

dangerous dangerously good well

careful carefully fast fast

nice nicely hard hard

horrible horribly

easy easily

electronic electronically
 If the adjective ends in -y, change -y to -i. Then add -ly:

 happy – happily

but:

 shy – shyly

If the adjective ends in -le, the adverb ends in -ly:

 terrible – terribly

If the adjective ends in -e, then add -ly:

 safe – safely

► Not all words ending in -ly are adverbs:

 adjectives ending in -ly: friendly, silly, lonely, ugly

 nouns, ending in -ly: ally, bully, Italy, melancholy

 verbs, ending in -ly: apply, rely, supply

There is no adverb for an adjective ending in -ly.

 4. Use of adverbs

to modify to modify to modify to modify to modify

verbs adjectives adverbs quantities sentences

The handball It was The handball There Unfortunately, t

team played an extremely bad team are quite a lot he flight to
badly last match. played extremel of people here. Dallas had been
Saturday. y badly last cancelled.
Wednesday.

5. Adjective or Adverb after special verbs

Both adjectives and adverbs may be used after look, smell and taste. Mind the change in
meaning.

Here are two examples:

adjective adverb

The pizza tastes good. Jamie Oliver can taste well.

(How is the pizza?) (How can Jamie Oliver taste?)

Peter's feet smell bad. Peter can smell badly.

(How are his feet?) (How can Peter smell?)

Do not get confused with good/well.

 Linda looks good. (What type of person is she?)

 Linda looks well. (How is Linda? – She may have been ill, but now she is fit again.)

 How are you? – I'm fine, thank you. /I'm good. (emotional state)

 How are you? – I'm well, thank you. (physical state)